Reds have made Series exciting once again

The Inside Stuff

October 19, 1990|By Bill Tanton

CBS IS almost as happy about the results of the first two World Series games as the Cincinnati Reds are. McCormick & Co. communications director and super baseball fan Mac Barrett expresses the feeling of many when he says: "I wasn't really excited about this World Series going in. I was afraid the A's were just too good. But now with the Reds winning the first two games, I can't wait to watch these next three from Oakland over the weekend."

This 87th World Series is starting to look strangely like the 85th, when the favored A's lost the first two games in L.A. -- Game No. 1 when Dennis Eckersley gave up the game-winning homer to Kirk Gibson -- and the Dodgers, who weren't even supposed to beat the Mets in the playoffs, went on to beat the A's in five.

One of the best things about Cincinnati in this Series is the way manager Lou Piniella has used every one of the 15 non-pitchers on his roster. Every button Lou pushes is working. Does it remind you of a little manager who once wore No. 4 for the Orioles?

* Rowland Hall, one of the oldest buildings at Johns Hopkins University, has been renamed Krieger Hall after one of Baltimore's greatest sportsmen. Zanvyl Krieger, Hopkins '28, gave the university $7.5 million for the Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, which is housed in the building. Zan Krieger has had more to do with the development of professional sports in Baltimore than anyone. He helped bring the Orioles here from St. Louis. He was an original owner of the Baltimore Colts. He owned the American Hockey League Clippers here for many years. And he did it all with very little fanfare.

* John Ziemann, president of the Baltimore Colt band, is often asked what the group will do if the city gets back in the NFL and has a team called, for example, the Mustangs. "We'll call ourselves the Mustang band," Ziemann says. "All we ask is we be allowed to display a Colt banner in our color guard to show the organization's history."

* Fight promoter Stu Satosky, who's putting on an attractive show at Painters Mill Nov. 13, took a look the other day at the new Du Burns indoor soccer arena in Canton as a potential home for future fights. "Very interesting," says Satosky.

* Frank Sliwka, chairman of the Tops in Sports banquet here, is not one to forgive and forget. Especially in Jose Canseco's case. Canseco failed to show for the banquet here two years ago to receive a prized trophy. So Sliwka is watching this World Series with a voodoo doll a friend brought from Haiti. When Canseco comes to bat, Sliwka sticks a pin in the doll.

* To those who've been hoping the boycott of Remington products would make owner Victor Kiam feel it where it hurts, in the pocketbook: Forget it. Remington sales are up. Must be a lot of razor buyers out there who think Lisa Olson was wrong.

* Terry Pluto's new book on the late American Basketball Association, "Loose Balls," recalls an embarrassing chapter in this city's sports history. In a league that died young, the 1975 Baltimore Claws were the biggest farce of all. Players were not paid. Bills piled up. Coach Joe Mullaney discovered that his great local hope, Skip Wise, was on drugs. Dan Issel said he'd do anything to get out of Baltimore. And finally, 15 years ago tomorrow, the franchise folded, five days before the opener. The Claws had sold only 300 season tickets. It almost makes Bob Irsay look good.

* While watching Calvert Hall suffer a 27-0 loss at Gilman last weekend, I heard a number of people talking about the decline in the quality of high school football in Baltimore County. Causes: fewer feeder leagues for kids and the large number of boys playing soccer instead of football. Said Calvert Hall lacrosse coach Mike Thomas: "I know my best athlete [Tony Nugent] is playing soccer."